So I finally drove a Civic Si and it was definitely nice. I wouldn't say fun but definitely a sweet stylish car to own as a DD. The exterior and interior were great. Here's the thing...The Civic Si is only the second car I've driven with manual tranny (the S being the first!). I've always wondered since the day I got my S as to why my shifting feels so much rougher than an ordinary car. In the Si you could barely tell I was shifting...meaning the shifting was effortless (sort of boring), I barely had to move the stick to another gear, the clutch pedal didn't have to go a long distance to be disengaged, and it was VERY smooth shifting with no jerks or lurching. I know many times when we shift in the S2K we can see the passenger sort of lunge forward from their seat. I don't really have a point to this post but just wondering if all or most manual transmissions are smoother than the S? I would really like to test drive someone else's S2K and see how theirs shift and drive. Is it because our cars are suppose to be raw like that or am I missing something big in my car??

PS - The Si is a great car but definitely not that fun...but would to own one as a DD.

 

The shifter in the SI is terrible imo. The position, the way it feels when going through the gears just every thing about it. But then again maybe driving the S has just ruined every other car for me?

 

OP, they'll label you as an immature 15 years old now that you praised the SI

That's how I ws labeled here by some.....

 

I am of Vintage age and I own a 2002 S2000 for the fun of it and a 2006 Civic Si for my daily driver. If anyone cares to label me immature because I own an Si so be it. I probably have more years of driving experience than the people who would label me immature have all together.

The Si is a more forgiving car than the S2000. The S2000 has a considerably better transmission than the Si, but it requires much more skill to drive properly. The S2000's transmission (and steering and handling) is much more sensitive but at the same time more responsive. Not only do I feel this way, but my 16 year old son, who I'm teaching to drive on both cars feels the same way. The bottom line is that the S2000 is more precise but the Si is more forgiving. All of that said, there is no quesiton that the S2000's transmission is the best that I've ever driven, and the Si's is a close second.

Getting back to the Si, it is the perfect daily driver for someone like me who has 40 years of driving experience and grew up driving sports cars. It is a fun car to drive, yet at the same time has four seats and still isn't boring. It has enough power, steering precision and handling to satisfy me knowing that it's a daily driver.

I love my Si and my S2000.

 

 

you wont lunge riding in my car.

 

a fwd cable operated shifter has been numbed through all of the cables, bushings and actuators, thus you feel nothing during the shift. You can shift with your elbow, or you can shift with a big gulp in your hand and it will find the gear quite easily. They tend to be very forgiving tranny/shifters. The S2000 tranny is directly connected to the shifter, you feel everything and it requires a bit moreprecise shifting. I like to describe it as a "real" transmission, not unlike what you will find in a racecar. What you feel is the gears actually engaging, there is nothing wrong with that it's just that more of the shifting sensation is passed through the shifter. Many ethusiasts appreciate the direct feel of trannies like the S2000 tranny/shifter setup. I wouldnt' have it any other way. The Miata is very similar, as are many muscle cars and euro sports cars etc..... It all depends on what you like, a person with little manual transmission experience would almost always work better with a fwd cable actuated tranny.

 

^

It's all about your finesse with the friction point of your clutch and how good you are at rev matching.

Every now and again I bog a bit from a stop when I'm not paying attention--though I'm getting better as I just got mine this summer--but other than that it's a pretty smooth ride in my car (unless I'm driving it hard in which case the shifting isn't what concerns most passengers).

To the topic at hand:

I drove a friend's 07? Si and it was alright. The first thing I noticed honestly was how far away the speedometer felt. I got that feeling like I was in the back row of a movie theater after driving my S2000 and having the gauges right in front of my face.

The shifter in the Si was not bad but not great. It was smoother but had a longer throw and felt mushy (to be expected with FWD with linkage vs. a RWD setup).

The handling was nice but I definitely felt the weight transfer/body roll compared to the S2000...again to be expected. The Si with some nice Firestones gripped just about as well as my S2000 at the time with some crap General Exclaim UHP tires but now that I have Star Specs it's no contest. The Si felt less planted the entire time too but I suppose that's just a matter of getting used to how far I can push it. I got pretty good at pushing my Trans Am well beyond what most people thought could be done in it simply because I had the seat time. It didn't feel pretty but the grip was there nonetheless.


Would I drive an Si as a DD? No. I hate FWD personally. I will always have a RWD/AWD car no matter the season. I hate torque steer with a passion. Is the Si a good car? Sure. Just not for me.

 

One poiunt many forget:

THE SI IS $21K

THE S2K IS $35K


big difference

For $21k, the SI si a gread dd commuting car.
once again, FOR $21K......... a detail many here forget when they compare the SI vs. the S2k

Of course for $15k more I expect the S2k to perform WAyyyyy better than the SI. But it's comparing apples and oranges

The bottom line is that for a dd commuting type of car and for the price the SI is a great car. And the one saying the Mazda 3 or the Evo are better they forget that YOU CAN'T GET THE SPEED 3 OR THE EVO FOR $21K. They cost much more than the SI. A small detail many forget

 

I own both cars and love both for different reasons. The SI isn't as raw compared to the s2000. It's a much smoother and quieter ride. It's great for DD is poor weather conditions or driving around friends and family (I have a 4d). The s2000 is great for obvious reasons that I don't need to explain.

You can't really compare these cars. They were made for different audiences and both are excellent cars in their own respect. You can't really find a car in the SI price range that can match the performance and quality.